Typographical matrix



Patented Nov. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES TYPoenAPHioAL MATRIX Herman R. Freund, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Intertype Corporation, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 8, 1937, Serial No. 152,643

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in typographical machines and more particularly those of the general class described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 436,532 granted September 16, 1890, wherein character bearing matrices released from suitable storage magazines are assembled into lines and while sustained in a so-called rst elevator are presented to a slotted mold by descent of such elevator to the proper level to aline the matrix characters with the mold slot, after which molten metal is injected at the rear of the mold slot to east a character bearing slug, the elevator subsequently rising to a position for removal of the matrix line and distribution of the matrices to their proper places of storage.

The present invention relates more particularly to improvements which increase the number of type faces available without the necessity of providing additional matrix fonts, and to this end the invention provides a three-letter matrix capable of use in the machines heretofore adapted to handle only the ordinary oneand twoletter matrices.

The advantages of three-letter matrices have long been recognized, the additional or third type face avoiding the expense and the disadvantages of handling extra magazines and fonts of matrices. However, as heretofore proposed, the locations or datum line positions chosen for three characters on such matrices have not been suitable for alinement of the characters with standard molds which are constructed on the basis of the established alining system for one or two character matrices or for their presentation in proper alinement with the special molds they require except by extensive alteration of the rst elevator and other parts of the machine the coordination of which is essential to effect alinement. Thus, in every instance, previously proposed, efiorts have been directed solely to providing three characters of maximum size located on datum lines equally spaced apart. Such location of the datum lines of the matrix characte'rs, however, does not conform to the established mold alining system; that is, when the lower matrix ears of such three-letter matrices cooperate with the alining surfaces on standard molds, such cooperation being the well known on the same casting edge and are so arranged as to provide three letters of the maximum size possible without departing from the standard mold and character alinement conditions common to the one and two letter matrices. Thus, the three letters are so located on the matrix edge that, as ordinarily, the respective letters of one pair (up to 14 points in size) can be alined individually or can be used selectively, as for mixed composition, with any of the standard molds employed with ordinary two-letter matrices of corresponding point size, while the respective letters of another pair, one up to 14 points in size and belonging to the first pair and the other up to with the characters inverted for top alinement asy usual, in which two of the characters, up to 14 points in size, are located on the normal lower and upper datum lines in conformity with the establishedstandard for two-letter matrices, While the third character, up to 8 points in size, is located on a certain higher and abnormal datum line in conformity with the established standard for the largest one-letter matrices, such as 42 to 60 point headletter matrices or twoletter matrices up to 24points, which requires that all three datum lines be not equally spaced apart.

The improved matrix provided according to the present invention, wherein all three characters are located in conformity with the established .alining system of standard molds, enables the benefits of three-letter matrices to be obtained in a practical manner, the only limitation being that of size of the third character which cannot extend to the full 14 points in height like the two normally located characters.

To these and other ends', the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the features of novelty being pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the accompanying drawing:-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a matrix according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a standard,

mold as employed with two-letter matrices and a portion of the rst elevator, showing a matrix according to the present invention with its upper character alined with the casting slot, this char- Y mold as employed with one-letter 42 to 60" point matrices,.and through a portion of the first elevator, showing the matrix according to the present invention with its lowermost character alined with the mold slot, this'character'being located on the lowestpossible datum linezwhich is known as the headletter alinement position;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but shows the uppermost character on-the matrix according to the present invention alined with the rcasting slot of the mold; and

Fig. 6 is a Ycollective view showing in sideelevation the several forms of oneand two-letter matrices all having their characters located at normal datum line positions inconformity with the establishedl standards ofv mold and matrix 'alinementa this figure also showing a threeletter`v matrix according to theY present invention t having its charaterslocated in conformity with Y Vadapted to cooperate.Y The alini'ng bar is pro-V -Yv'idediw'ith a pair of stop pins 1 and B of appro- Vpiria'te heights,Y andV when the rfirst elevatorV dev scende' to Ylower a matrix line into casting posito/'rest either directly-on the alining bar 5 fas such normal datum line positions.

Similar parts' are designated by the same ref- Verence characters in the several figures. Y The novel three-letter matrix provided by the present invent'if'mv is adapted toY be used in Vtypographical machines of well-known construction vprovided with a matrix line' transporter I, usually termed'the rst elevator, having `front vand back jaws 2'and 3 to'receive the matrix lines, said elevator being mounted to move vertically as sualmon a vise framerthe cap 4Y of which is provided with a so-called alining bar 5with which a s'crew'iG on the-head oi?V the nrst .elevator is tionln'fr'on't of the'mold, the screW'G mayfcome shown in Figs. 2 and' 5,V or on the stop pin 'I as shown in Fig. 3, or ,on the stoppin 8 as shown inv Fig. 4, mils positioning the matrix line for aline,- Vment Vat the lower orY normal alinement position corresponding tothe datum line XV--Xv for' the tops ofthe upper characters onV the usuali twoletter matriceaorat the upper alinement position l Ycorresponding te the datum Yline Y--Y for the topsl o'f' the lower characters on the usual twoletter matrices, or atlthe so-called high or headletter alinement position corresponding tothe f v'datum line Z--Z for'the tops of characters of 'large point size'onV single letter matrices.Y lThese 6()` three alinement positions vare in' accordancewith long established standards, and since the means vprovided in thelmachines for stopping the rst elevator at'one oranother ofthese positions is Y wellrlin'own, further illustration and description thereof are deemed unnecessary.

Referring more particularly' tov Fig. ,1, the inatrix M Yprovided bythe .present invention is of the usual form? and size employed in typographical machines of the classY hereinbefore referred Y to, it having upper and lower ears IY and II `projecting from its front and rear edges respectively and'being provided in its casting' edge I2 with lthree letters orcharacters.T'Ihel two v:cha'ralcterfs-I3' and I4` are punchedat the usual .75,

Vvertical rpositions and ordinarilyrdo not exceed.

14 points in vertical height, the characters being inverted in the usual manner for top alinement. The vertical positions of these tWo characters conform to a long established standard for Vthe ordinary two-letter matrices M' (Fig. 6), the tops of the respective characters, regardless ofr their height, alining on one or theV other of the datum lines-X--X or Y-Y, Fig. v6, these li-nes being commonly referred to as the-lower or normal and upper or roman and italic ali-nement positions respectively. Y Y

The matrix according to the present invention is Yprovided with a third character I which is located on a datum line Z-Z of the matrix M2 (Fig. 6) which is commonly termed the high or f headletter alinement position. This latter position is also in conformity with a long established standard for single letter matrices of large point size, such as 42 to 60 point headletters.

V,More recently, there has been developed a twoletter"` matrix for characters oi larger point size than'theforiner 14. point limit, and by locating 'Y the top ofthe character in the upper alinement position, such as the lower character on the matrix M3 (Fig. .6),V on the datum line Z.-Z, and the top of the character inthe lower alinement position on Ysuch Ya matrix on theV datum line X-X, it was found possible to provide two characters'of the maximum point size possible (24 points) to iit within the casting edge ofthe standard matrix.

The datum lines XX, YA-Y and Z-Z areV not equally spaced apart, as Ywill be observed from 6, and this unequal spacing of the datum lines is an important factorV of Vthe presentinvention'. By referring to the mold I6 shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it will beV observed that it is provided with Vlov/er and upper alining rails I'I and vI8 respectively, these rails engaging over the top ofthe lower rearears'II of the matrices at the proper time to effect' horizontal alinement ing slot in the mold, in the manner usual and well known in machines of this class.V Since the characters I3 and I4 of the matrixUM-according to the present invention are located in conformity with the established two-letter matrix and'mold alinement system', it Vwill be evident that the' Vof the respective matrixcharacters withthe castalinement cf either of these characters will de- Y pend'upon presentation of the matrix for er1-- gagement'with either rail Il or rail I8. The characters I3 and I'thus constitute a pair of characters which can be Valined individually in frontV of the mold slot or, as in mixed composition, some or the matrices in an assembled line may have the character I3 alined with the mold slot while other matrices in the line have vthe ,character I4 alined therewith. Y j

The'mold Ilia. shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is provided With lower and Yupper alining rails I9 andy `20 respectively, the rail I9 being located at the same distance from the datum line Ela (which is coincident with the lower casting face of the mold slot) as the railY I'I on the mold I6 in Figs. 2 andB is located from the corresponding datum line 2I. The rail 20, however, is located much closer to the'y datum line 2Ia` of the mold 'I6a than is the rail I8 with respect to the datum line 2I of the mold lshown in Figs. 2 and 3, the rail 2D corresponding to the high or headletter aline- Vmentrposition for lone-letter matrices up to the largest point size possible, namely points, as

Fig. 6. Y Consequently, when thek matrices M according to the presentinvention are presentedtov 'for example is represented by the matrix M2 in Y the mold shown in Fig. 4 with their lower rear ears engaged against the underside of the rail 20, the character I5 on such matrices will aline with the mold slot, since the datum line Z--Z on which the character I5 is located coincides with the datum line 2Ia of the mold; and when matrices according to the present invention are presented to the mold with their lower rear ears engaged against the underside oi the rail I9 on the mold I6a, as in Fig. 5, such matrices being then presented in the lower alinement position, the characters I3 located on the normal datum line X-X will be alined with the mold slot, this datum line being then coincident with the datum line of the mold.

Since the datum lines of the characters on the matrices provided by thepresent invention are in conformity with the long established or standard mold alinement levels and the levels to which the matrix lines are lowered to casting position by the line transporter or rst elevator in machines of this class as generally constructed, the improved matrices are usable in such machines without requiring any special construction thereof, and without impairing the usefulness of such machines for composition using the usual matrices. The two forms of standard molds employed with the improved three-letter matrices may obviously be mounted on the same mold disk commonly employed in machines of this class, so that one or the other mold may be readily brought into use in the usual and well known way for cooperation with the improved matrices for casting from one or the other of the upper pair of characters, or for casting from the third or lowermost character.

I claim as my invention:

1. A matrix for use in a typographical machine having slug casting means presenting a constant datum line and means for alining matrices at diierent unequally spaced heights relatively to said datum line, said matrix having type forming characters thereon the datum lines of which are located at different unequally spaced heights corresponding respectively to the heights at which the matrices are alined by said alinlng means.

2. A matrix for use in a typographical machine provided with a matrix line transporter having means for positioning a matrix liner in three unequally spaced alining positions, said matrix having type forming characters thereon the datum lines of which are located at different unequally spaced heights corresponding respectively to said alining positions of the line transporter.

3. A matrix for use in a typographical machine provided with slug casting means presenting a constant datum line and means for alining matrices at different unequally spaced heights relatively to said datum line, and a line transporter having means for positioning a matrix line at three alining positions corresponding to the heights at which the matrices are alined by the alining means, said matrix having type forming characters thereon the datum lines of which are located at different unequally spaced heights corresponding to the respective heights at which the matrices are positioned by the line transporter and alined by the alining means.

4. In a typographical machine, the combination of mold means having a constant datum line and means for alining matrices at three different unequally spaced levels relatively thereto, a line transporter having means for positioning matrices at three unequally spaced heights corresponding to said alining levels, and matrices each having in its casting edge three type forming characters the datum lines of which are located at heights corresponding to the respective heights at which matrices are positioned by the line transporter and alined by the alining means.-

5. In a typographical machine, the combination of a slug casting mold having means for alining matrices therewith at the usual lower and upper levels and a slug casting mold having means for alining matrices therewith at the usual lower level and at a high level above said upper level and at a diierent distance from said upper level than the distance of said upper level from the lower level, the datum lines of said molds being coincident, and matrices each provided in its casting edge with three type forming characters the datum lines of which are located at heights corresponding respectively with said lower, upper and high alinement levels.

6. In a typographical machine, the combination of a slug casting mold having rails spaced from its datum line to aline matrices at the usual lower and upper levels and a slug casting mold having rails spaced from its datum line to aline matrices at said lower level and at a high level above said upper level and at a distance from said upper level less than the distance of said upper level from said lower level, the datum lines of said molds being coincident, and matrices each provided in its casting edge with three type forming characters located at different unequally spaced heights corresponding respectively with said lower, upper and high alinement levels.

'7. A matrix for use in a typographical machine provided with at least two` slug casting molds having coincident datum lines and means for alining matrices at two different levels with respect to said datum line, said matrix having three type forming characters unequally spaced apart on an edge thereof, the upper of which characters is located for alinement with the datum line by the alining means on both of said molds and the other two of which characters are located for alinement with the datum line by the alining means on one only of said molds.

HERMAN R. FREUND. 

